Buying a used 05-09 S197

Hey guys whats up? I used to be a member here, and havent logged into this forum for a while..... anyways a little about myself:

In 07 I bought a Mustang GT. It was my baby, I had it lowered in a classy way, Saleen replica staggered wheel/tire combo on it, corsa axleback exhaust, and a minor performance tune. I never got the chance to add anything under the hood....

Last december I was driving home from work, and it was raining pretty bad, I was on the #1 lane on the freeway, and hit a big patch of water and hydroplaned. If I was on the #3 or 4 lane Im pretty sure I could of regained control, but I fishtailed and when my Mustang regained traction I shot into the center divider. The Insurance company declared my car a wreck, and since didnt have full coverage as I paid off the car, I couldnt afford a new Mustang.

I have been driving a pos 88 Toyota.... and its a great little bulletproof car but its not a Mustang. I have money saved up and when I sell my sportbike, that money will go towards a new (used) Mustang.

I have one speeding ticket on my record and this single car accident that I have and am considered at fault to due to no one else being involved. The Insurance premium for a new Mustang would be through the roof which I cant afford, so I have to wait until after 2014 to buy a new car. So used is where Ill go.

Im in the market for an 05-09 Mustang GT. Manual. When I wrecked I had about 63k miles on my 07 GT. I kept up with the maintenance and it never gave me problems.

Buying someones used Mustang makes me weary....but its cheaper than the dealership. So what should I look for in a used S197? What problems should I look for/be aware of in a vehicle that someone didnt maintain properly? Any redflags? This is going to be my car until 2016-17. Id like to get one in the 50-70k mile range, and pay no more than 16k.

war·y (wâr)
adj. war·i·er, war·i·est
1. On guard; watchful: taught to be wary of strangers.
2. Characterized by caution: a wary glance at the black clouds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8Thrasher

but its cheaper than the dealership. So what should I look for in a used S197? What problems should I look for/be aware of in a vehicle that someone didnt maintain properly? Any redflags? This is going to be my car until 2016-17. Id like to get one in the 50-70k mile range, and pay no more than 16k.

Any input would be greatly appreciated guys, thanks.

Take a look at the pedals for wear - and the carpeting. That should help to determine if the mileage is a accurate. Check the fluids under the hood to see if there is anything suspicious about it. If you know a good body man have him take a quick look and see if the car is straight or if there have been repairs made to it from an accident.

Don't forget when checking the carpet to see if there is any evidence of water on the passenger side from the well known leak. Pull up the door sill and lift the carpet to inspect underneath.

If I was shopping for a used I'd go for an 08 or 09 because I think they improved a few things in 08+ and added some better options. At the very least, the 08+ has the revised heads without the spark plug extraction issues.

I sold my 08 because the transmission was horrible. If you get a manual, be sure to check it out good. Mine had the 'cold crunch' in which it was near impossible to shift into 2nd gear in cold weather. It was pretty notchy and crunchy through all the gears and really, just not fun to drive...and this is coming from someone who's driven plenty of manual transmission cars (and previously owned 3 other manual mustangs).

in july i picked up an 09GT, few scratches in the paint but otherwise flawless.
i replaced the sloppy stock shifter with a barton and i replace the upper and lower control arms with BMR.
in september i drove the car cross country and back, car performed amazing.
oh almost forgot , i replaced the spark plugs.
i suggest you get the car on a lift and look for rust and any signs of it being hit
see if you can lift of the plastic piece that covers the space from the grill to the RAD, see if the front has been hit, the metal piece under the will tell you if its been hit in the front.
good luck in your search.

You can find some great used S197s with low mileage and under $16k. My '07 has had a blown A/C compresor seal and has 65k on the odometer. That's it. Sure 5 plugs broke during the change but that is something I can personally deal with.

I'd look for one from an person in their 30's and up with a small family (no offense younger guys, us older married fathers tend to have less time to beat up on the cars). You can find them all the time being sold because an addition to the family. And talk to the person about the car. If you know enough about these cars, you can tell if someone has loved the car and maintained it well.

Look for any oil leaks. Look for obvious signs of any kind of maintenance. Do the panels have different shades of paint? I judge how well maintained a car is by looking closely at the engine. Most guys around here who love their cars keep it meticulously clean under there.

Look very closely at the underneath side of the hood for corrosion. It will show around the edges near the seams of the fold as paint bubbles first. By now I would guess most with a problem should at least be showing signs of bubbling. After the bubbling, the paint will eventually start to flake off leaving a white crusty material from the corrosion. And eventually it will creep around to the top of the hood (usually on the front first). You don't necessarily need to rule out these cars (from my informal surveys it may account for over 25% of them), but know that a repaint with proper prep to remove the contaminants and corrosion will run close to $1k. Add some to that for an aftermarket fiberglass hood painted to match.

Have you talked to your insurance agent to compare new vs. used? My experience has been that new cars can actually be cheaper than used due to improved safety (since injuries have potential to cost more to insurance companies than car repairs). I'm not sure with respect to Mustang GTs as mine is not a daily driver and therefore the insurance is pretty cheap. Nothing wrong with a used Mustang, but just throwing that out there.

Otherwise, per the advice above it's usually pretty easy to tell whether a car has been babied or beat on by looking for telltale signs of wear. Find one that's been babied and you should be set for the long haul. Good luck!

Sorry to hear about your accident, but glad to hear you are back in the market and searching for another Mustang. =)

My 99 Mustang was totaled out due to a dip wad pulling out in front of me. I was in the proces of saving up for a GT and only had it one year. Unfortunately, I did not have enough saved for a GT and decided to get the 2005 V6, since I really liked the look of the S197 body style. I've experienced numerous TSB issues with my 2005. With that being said, I would also recommend 07-09 models, less TSB issues.

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